Proposing to a Princess
by MsAngelAdorer
Summary: Spending the weekend on Earth, Brandon is planning to propose to Stella, and will, too. That is, if there will quit being SO MANY interruptions. . . .
1. The First Attempt

**Author's Note: **I have to say that Stella and Brandon is one of my favorite pairings, and I've wanted to write a story about them for quite a while, but until about a month ago, I couldn't come up with anything. But, one day as I thought about what it would be like if Brandon was proposing to Stella, the idea for this story happened. (I don't consider the scene in one of the Season 4 episodes when Brandon gave Stella a ring a proper proposal.)

So, this is basically a short story that'll be probably three or four parts, depending on the length. If you haven't seen Season 4 yet, you might want to as this contains some spoilers. It's set six months after Season 4 which explains why the girls on Earth, the guys weren't, and Roxy was away at Alfea.

Alright, now that's through, enjoy the story.

* * *

**Summary: **Spending the weekend on Earth, Brandon is planning to propose to Stella, and will too—that is, if there would quit being so many interruptions.

**Disclaimer: **I don't Winx Club, because if I did, this would be either a special, or take place during Season 5.

* * *

**Part One:**

**"The First Attempt"**

It was early evening at the palace of Eraklyon, and Brandon, slightly weary from all of his duties of that day let out a yawn, which turned into a soft, wistful sigh and ran a hand through his short brown hair.

Before him stood a door. Inside was one of his best friends—so why was he so worried? It was one of the questions he often asked himself. He pondered over it for a moment before he finally found the courage and pushed the door open.

There were many pieces of furniture, and sitting on a multi-patterned chair beside a glass table was the blond-haired king of Eraklyon, gazing at a picture of someone. Brandon was certain—completely, to say the least—that it simply had to have been the king's fiancée, Princess Bloom of Sparx.

He approached the young king and cleared his throat for attention. Immediately, his old friend set down the portrait, and while it was in the air, Brandon stole a quick glance—just as he had thought, it was Bloom.

King Sky smiled at the sight of him and said, "Oh, hey Brandon; good to see you. You wanted to talk to me?" The answer was obvious, but being Sky, he simply couldn't resist getting a response.

Brandon nodded, taking a seat in a chair right beside him. Normally, a person would have to ask the king if they had permission to sit by him; but as a knight of King Sky and one of his closest friends, Brandon was an exception.

"Hey Sky," he began, "since there's not anything big coming up this weekend, would you mind if I go visit Earth?"

Sky raised his eyebrows. "What for?"

Now Brandon was a bit nervous and, not wanting to tell him the true reason, quickly made something up. "Well—you know how we're technically protectors of Earth since we helped save it from the Wizards of the Black Circle, right?"

Sky nodded.

"Considering how it's been six months since we or any of the other guys have been there, and Roxy _is _still staying at Alfea for a couple more months till summer, I thought if might be a good idea if I go…you know—check it out."

Sky now had a grin on his face, and not only was it visible on his mouth, but in his eyes as well. "If you don't mind me asking, does your supposed mission of 'checking out' Earth have something to do with Stella."

That was exactly what Brandon was afraid he was going to ask.

He began to sweat and blushed. "No! Uh, I mean, well—" He was growing so nervous he could barely even get his response out, which just made Sky begin to laugh at him. Brandon knew he didn't mean anything by it as Brandon had teased him just the same way when he had asked for advice on Bloom back at Red Fountain.

Sky finally stopped laughing and grew serious. "Brandon, it's okay. We've known each other for years. If you just want to go to Earth to see your girlfriend, it's fine with me. You haven't seen her in a while, and I know just how you feel. It's torture being away from Bloom. I can't wait until she joins me as queen."

"Speaking of which," Brandon inquired, "when's the wedding again?"

His friend shrugged, scratching his head as he let out a sigh. "To be honest, I don't even know. When we first got engaged, we planned to marry after only a few months so that we wouldn't be separated as much as we were after my coronation and her graduation. But, then Ms. Faragonda offered her and the other girls teaching jobs, and Bloom, being the leader, just couldn't let the Winx Club do something without her, which made us see each other even less. That's one of the reasons I'm kind of glad the wizards came. If they hadn't, me and Bloom wouldn't have gotten to spend as much time together."

"And you're still together after how much you both kept making each other jealous?" Brandon couldn't believe it. Stella had forgiven him about the Mitzi situation, but that was mostly due to the fact that she knew Mitzi was the one who had started the whole thing.

"Believe it or not, man, that just made our relationship stronger since we made it through the problems and learned we could trust each other. Though I have to say I was kind of disappointed when Bloom decided to stay in Gardenia. Hopefully she comes to her senses soon, or the wedding may be a last a year or two more off."

Brandon couldn't help but envy him. At the beginning, he and Stella had been the perfect high school couple, but ever since they had met up on Earth, their relationship had never been the same. Brandon thought it might have had to do with how they had been doing some growing up over time. He hoped that it wasn't what he had been dreading the most—that they had grown apart.

"Hey Sky," he asked casually, "when you planned to propose to Bloom, how did you do it?"

Sky raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, but replied, "Well, I just decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, so, since I had the perfect opportunity, I decided to give her the ring and whisper it to her in her ear. She's told me she's happy I did because it, as she puts it, 'made the moment more special.'"

"Good to know."

But, Sky knew Brandon to not be one to ask questions out of the blue like that if he didn't have something planned, and considering the topic, he felt he knew just what his friend was doing.

"Brandon, are you going to Earth so you can propose to Stella?" It was probably not the best way to ask, but Sky felt it best to simply be blunt and get it out. Beating around the bush would do him no good.

If it could be possible, Brandon appeared more afraid than he already had. His cheeks grew even more red, and little beads of sweat appeared at the top of his forehead, completely giving him away.

"W-why do you ask?" His voice came out thin and weak, as if he were struggling to properly enunciate and speak at an audible volume.

"Well, for one thing, every time I even say the name _Stella _you blush, and you asked me about when I proposed to Bloom virtually out of nowhere, which is quite suspicious seeing as you were there."

Brandon frowned. "Man, you read me like a book. Guess I can't keep anything from you, can I?"

"Nope," Sky replied, smiling slightly. "But, don't worry man, you need any assistance, I'm at your service."

"Okay. Then—what do you say would be the best idea to propose? I was going for spending the day with her and proposing as the sun sets. How's that sound? I thought she may like it since her elements _are _the Sun and Moon."

Sky thought it and over and said, "That sounds good, but it may be useful to have a few backup plans, just in case. Just because you plan to propose doesn't mean it's going to happen. Believe me, I know. When I actually proposed to Bloom, that was my fifth idea."

Brandon scratched his head. Who knew so much thought went into asking a question as simple as, "Will you marry me?"

"Plus," the blond king added, "you may want to make it extra special since she _is _a princess."

"Right." Brandon hadn't considered that. There was more to this than he had thought. "Maybe I should just try something simple. How this sound: I take her to park, treat her to a romantic picnic lunch, and propose right after?"

"A little cliché," Sky admitted, "but considering how Stella is a sucker for cliché moments like that, I'm sure it'll work. But don't forget, Brandon."

"I know, backup plan."

"That's right. So, you may want to pack and make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight, man. You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Yeah, I know."

Brandon and Sky continued to converse for an hour more until Brandon suggested that he take Sky's advice and go back and get some rest, as, just as Sky had said, he had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

The next day, Brandon boarded a ship and took it to Earth. He had to admit that it felt strange that he could finally take a ship to the once-non-magical planet. Ever since the Earth fairies had returned and Nebula had taken over, according the Winx Club, magic and other planets' technically were appearing more and more in society every day.

He landed his ship and arrived in the ever-sunny city of Gardenia. He walked through the familiar streets and watched as people were walking, and he couldn't help but notice that a good percentage were followed in midair by magic pets.

_The girls' business seems to be going great_, he thought to himself as he sped up his pace. _Let's just hope they can accomplish everything they can while they're here. They can't stay on Earth forever._

Though a bitter subject, Brandon's thinking was true. They truly could not remain on the Earth forever. Three of them were princesses and had duties to their kingdoms to one day take over as rulers, and all six were guardian fairies of their home worlds, and he knew that none of them could have the courage to abandon the duty—especially as they had had to spend their education at Alfea just to earn it.

He walked through the streets continuously, his thoughts always going to Stella no matter what he did, but who could blame him? He _was _planning to make her his wife, so who wouldn't feel the same way he did?

He kept going and saw that he passed Mitzi's house and couldn't help but let out a shutter. That girl had done nothing but pull him and Stella apart; if she hadn't, he would've asked her to marry him while they'd been on Earth.

Deciding to hurry along, he quickened his pace even further, and did not slow down until he saw the familiar street corner, signaling that he was almost there. He took a deep breath and continued on.

Before him stood the popular shop of the Winx Club's called Love and Pet. He wondered why there was nobody there; when he had last been on Earth, people had crowded not only the outside, but the inside to get one of the magic pets. His answer came when he approached the door and saw that the "Open" sign had been switched to "Closed."

_They must've decided to take a day off from work_, he realized, as it was still morning, and the pet shop was generally open until late evening. _But, hey, I guess they need it. Their store _is _pretty popular._

He took another breath before ringing the doorbell, and waited. And waited. And waited. He checked his watch. 10:32 A.M. (He had arrived so fast as Eraklyon ships had recently grown fast enough to travel across the galaxy in the matter of only a couple of hours.) Unless the girls had decided to stay up all night from some sort of sleepover, he was pretty sure that they had to have been awake by then.

Just when he was about to ring it once more, the door opened to reveal Flora, holding her pet, Coco, a furry pink cat with wings, just as all the magic pets had. She blinked for a moment, and when she realized who stood before her, she gasped.

"Brandon," she said, "I didn't expect you to be here. Is something wrong? Did Sky send word for us to help him save Eraklyon?" She appeared to be very worried, just as she almost always was when she sensed or supposed even the tiniest hint of danger.

"Oh no," assured Brandon, "everything's fine. I was just here for a little visit to—check up on things."

"Oh." After quickly thinking his words over, Flora's face broke into a smile. "I understand."

Brandon could feel his face turning red, and tried to change the subject. "Can I speak to Stella?"

Now Flora frowned. "Stella's not here, sorry. She went over with Bloom and Musa to the Frutti Music Bar about an hour ago. She said something about wanting to 'drown her blues' with strawberry milkshakes."

Her words made Brandon feel concerned. What could she mean by, "drown her blues?" Was she sad? And if so, why? She seemed to have fulfilled her dreams—besides becoming queen of Solaria—so what in the universe could she possibly have been unhappy about?

"Oh, well, then I guess I'll go and see her then. It was nice seeing you Flora. Say hi to Layla and Tecna for me!" And before Flora could even reply, he had already run off, determined to reach his destination.

It was not long before he stepped through the doors of the Frutti Music Bar, and he found that it—exactly like everything else in town—had stayed the same. He saw the same tables he had once served drinks at and pointed each out with memories. Here was the table where both Stella and Mitzi had sung a song for him. And there was where he and his girlfriend often went—excluding the beach behind—to talk about their feelings and even share a kiss or two.

He caught sight of Bloom sitting at a table, and she looked up at him with a smile, a curious expression in her eyes. "Hey Brandon, what brings to you to Gardenia?" she asked him, a hand on her hip. She turned around and Brandon followed her eyes to see that she was looking at Stella, who was facing the opposite direction as she spoke with Musa. "Oh, I see."

"Look, it's not what you're thinking—" Brandon tried to say, but was stopped when Bloom got up and pushed him directly in Stella's direction, completely ignoring his refusing.

"Go on Brandon," she told him quietly. "She'll never say _yes _if you don't ask her first."

Brandon froze and looked at her, amazed. "You know?" he whispered.

She nodded. "I've known Stella for years, and I always knew that you were her perfect match. It was only a matter of time before you made it official. Besides, Sky acted that way around me right before we got engaged. Now go on; she's waiting for you Brandon, and nobody's here to stop you—just don't mess it up." She finished in a non-Bloom like tone; he knew better than to question her, especially since she was one of Stella's closest friends.

Brandon advanced toward Stella and quickly caught Musa's eye, giving a look as if to ask, "Mind I cut in?"

She understood completely and winked. "Sorry to end the conversation, Stella," Musa said, "but I think that there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

"Who?" Stella asked, looking around in every direction except for behind her.

Helping her out, Musa turned her around until she was facing her boyfriend. The princess of Solaria's face instantly lit up with happiness. "Shnookums!" she called out with delight as she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, I'm so glad that you came. I missed you so much!"

She let out a sniffle and Brandon could tell that inwardly she was doing all she could to keep from crying. He understood why. As a princess, it was improper for her to do such a thing in public. Even though Stella wasn't as etiquette-driven as some princesses, it was still difficult for her to break some of her old habits, ones that she had still followed before her parents had gotten a divorce.

Getting a hold of herself, she let go and simply smiled brightly. "So Brandon, what brings you here?"

Smoothly, he replied, "Why else? To see you, of course. You're the universe to me, Stella."

She let out a squeal. "Oh, you're so romantic, Brandon. Well, since I don't have anything to do all day, and I was just drinking up my shopping money on milkshakes, why don't we do something together?"

"Great idea," he said. "I was planning that we go on a picnic at the park." He saw that her expression had changed immensely, to one of confusion, and he quickly added, "But, if you want, we can do something else. It's just a suggestion."

He didn't worry long, however. Only a few seconds after he'd finished speaking, Stella embraced him again and announced: "It's official, Shnookums: you're the best boyfriend a girl could ever ask for!"

Feeling relieved, he suggested, "Well, why don't you stay here for a little while longer and I'll go get everything prepared and pick you up when I'm ready?"

"Sounds great." And it was settled.

* * *

"Wow Brandon, everything looks just perfect," she said sweetly an hour later as they arrived at the spot. He had set up a blanket on the ground as per tradition and the basket. He had considered getting an umbrella but decided it was a stupid idea. With all the trees, the umbrella would do no good, plus, as the Sun and Moon fairy, Stella wouldn't mind the bright light anyway.

"That's good. I tried everything I could to make it just the way you like it," he replied a little nervously. Several times before he went to pick up Stella he had made sure that the ring was still in his pocket. If he remembered everything _but _the ring, then he really didn't deserve to marry Stella. Just to be on the safe side, he snuck a quick peek when her back was turned.

_Good_. He sighed of relief. _The ring's still there. Now all I have to remember is to take it out when the moment is right._

Leading the way, he made room for her to sit down and took a seat beside her and opened up the picnic basket. "For lunch today, I prepared a delicious meal of sand-wiches, a small cake for desert and even"—he took out a pitcher of pink liquid— "as it is your favorite, strawberry milkshakes."

"Great choices!" she told him. "You definitely know how to pick the perfect food for a romantic picnic, Shnookums."

Brandon smiled. The food was the one thing he had not been worried about. He knew that as long as it wasn't too unhealthy or anything too fancy, Stella would enjoy it, as she simply enjoyed food. The milkshake would do nothing but put her in an even better mood, he was sure.

They each took a sandwich and began to eat. Their conversation at first fell upon what they had been up to since they had seen each other last, but Brandon, knowing that to make his proposal go the best, he would have to remind Stella about why she loved him so much.

"Hey Stella," he asked before taking another bite of his sandwich, "what did you think of me when we first me?"

Stella shrugged. "Well, that doesn't nearly compare to what I think about you now. But, if you must know, I thought that you were really cute and strong. It especially attracted me to you that you were a hero."

"You weren't attracted to me because you thought I was a prince?" Though they hadn't spoken of his deception in quite a bit of time, Brandon had to say that he was still a bit surprised.

Stella shook her head. "Not exactly. Sure, I wouldn't have minded if you really were, but I wasn't looking for a guy with a title. I was looking for a guy well, like you—one who knows me, can make me laugh, and never backs down to being there for me when I need him. And even though I hadn't known you very long, when we were just getting to known each other freshman year—well, my first time in freshman year—I knew that you were just the type of guy who could do that. And since we've been together for so many years now, I know I made the right choice becoming your girlfriend."

Brandon smiled. He knew Stella loved him, but her sincerity and her passion behind her words just made him all the more sure that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and from the way she had answered such simple questions, he was certain that Stella felt the same way.

"And what about you?" Stella asked, turning the tables on him. "What did _you _think about _me_?"

"Simple. I thought you were beautiful, and an incredibly powerful fairy. I find myself lucky that I found you."

Stella blushed. "Oh Brandon, you're so sweet."

After they had eaten, the couple took a walk through the park, under the trees, holding hands. Brandon thought it unnecessary, but Stella had insisted, so he relented. The last thing that he needed was for her to get angry with him.

When Brandon felt the time was right, they stopped at a tree, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Stella, I love you."

"I know."

"No, I mean I _really, really _love you. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I picture before I go to sleep. Whenever someone merely mentions your name or I see you, my heart begins to race."

"Brandon, you can't really mean all that, can you?" she asked him.

"I do. You're everything to me. I know this may sound cliché, but it's true. You're the one that keeps me going Stella. You're my life. And I know that I made the best decision in the whole world when I made you my girlfriend. Which is why I want to do this."

He got down on one knee—or tried to, but ended up falling face first on the ground.

"Brandon, are you okay?" Stella inquired, concerned.

"No, I'm fine." He got back, and faced her once more. "What was I trying to say was"—he reached into his pocket— "Princess Stella of Solaria"— "Will you"—he began to get down on one knee, just about to finish his question and reveal the engagement ring, when a beeping sound went off.

Brandon froze and stood up straight again as he watched his girlfriend reach into her pocket and pull out a cell phone. She frowned. "Hate to break up the moment, Brandon, but I just got a text from Tecna. She said there's tons of people lined up outside of Love and Pet."

"But I thought you were closed today?"

"We are," she replied bitterly, "but it seems that these people aren't taking no for an answer, and Flora, Layla, and Tecna are swamped with work and need me and the other girls there. Sorry."

"It's okay. I understand. Duty calls."

"Yep." Then she looked up at him, looking a bit confused. "What were you doing before, anyway?" Though she had seen him nearly get down to the ground, it almost as if he had been asking her to watch the clouds with him, even if he had asked it a bit formerly when he'd called her "Princess Stella."

"Uh, nothing," he replied. "I was just—tying my shoe, while asking if you'd like to do something later." (It was a good thing she had not noticed he wasn't wearing shoes with laces.)

While he had answered casually, as if it were nothing, inwardly, he was burning with rage. Why had those people picked _today _of all days to come on the Winx Club's day off? Really, why? Just when he was about to propose, too.

Sky was right. This was going to be harder than he thought. It was time for Plan B.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And so ends the first part. Hope you enjoyed it. I've been working on improving my grammar recently, so I'm hopeful that this was easy to read. The next part will come out as soon as it comes to me.

Also, drop me a review if you get the chance and have the time. I always love reading your opinions.


	2. Date With Cruel Destiny

**Author's Note: **It took a bit longer than I expected, but I'm still quite satisfied with this part. There will be two more following this, so enjoy them while you can. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Part Two:**

**"Date With Cruel Destiny"**

What _was _Plan B exactly? For a moment, Brandon himself had to wonder about that. There were a few ideas in his head, but now he wasn't so sure if some of them were really all that good, or would even happen. What if they failed just as easily as his first?

Answering his original question, Brandon thought, _I'll take her out to a nice dinner and propose right after dessert. That's simple. None of that cliché "stick the ring in her food" stuff—just a simple, routine, traditional, and hopefully, romantic, proposal._

He began to plan this idea as he gathered up the last of the picnic and headed to a hotel and booked a room. Even if he did propose that night, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible as he still had Sunday after that.

About an hour later, in his room, he sat on his bed and opened up the ring box, admiring the ring he had bought. It was beautiful to the say the least. The ring itself was a golden band, and what was often nicknamed "the rock" was a good-sized gemstone of amber. He knew Stella would appreciate it as he had remembered a conversation they had had on one of their dates. Brandon remembered it well as it all came back to him.

"_Brandon?" Stella had asked at the time, looking up at him with a great, yet to him, unreadable emotion. _

"_Yes?" Brandon looked up at her, wondering where her change in behavior had come from. Only moments before, she had been her energetic self as ever, explaining to him what she had recently bought in Magix._

_She sighed, seeming to think over her words and even stuttering ever so slightly. "H-Have you ever…you know—wondered what you would get a girl if you were to buy her jewelry?"_

_Brandon let out a soft sigh, seemingly understanding where this was going. "Stella, do you want me to buy you some jewelry? And if so, what is it?" But he left out: And how much does it cost? _

_Though his girlfriend never brought the issue up often, sometimes it was quite clear that no matter how much Brandon tried, as a squire, he didn't have as much money as the nearest prince, and Stella was a princess, which made her expectations extremely high. Unless he was knighted sooner than what was anticipated, it would probably be long until the brunette specialist would truly be able to get the princess anything really nice._

_Surprisingly, she said, "No. That's not what I meant Brandon. What I really meant was, well—what do you generally think of when you think of girls and jewelry?"_

"_Diamonds," he admitted, frowning. Not that he thought about it, that was pretty stereotypical. "But what would you like if I were to buy you something like that? That is—if you want, of course."_

_The princess's face read stunned, in awe. She blinked at him in confusion before her face turned to clear joy. "Amber," she told him, not hesitating at all in her reply. "I've always loved amber."_

Brandon smiled to himself. As long as he managed to make her happy, he was perf-ectly fine about the prince. And, oh, the price. If it weren't for the extra wages he had earned since being knighted, there was no way he would have been able to afford the ring, even if he held off on buying himself some clothes or so on and so forth.

_She'll love it_, he knew. There was no worry about that. But what in the Magical Dim-ension (or in this case, Earth) could he do to give it to her? _How, _he wondered, _can one simple question be so much more than that?_

He shook his head in dismay. "I should have picked another weekend," he whispered aloud. "Then I'd have all the time in the world. Instead, I'm stuck on a quickly ending deadline." He groaned.

_It's not that I don't love you Stella, _he said in his mind, as if the Sun fairy was listening. _I just don't know how to show it to you the proper way. _

Brandon rolled his eyes. Why hadn't he asked Stella more questions on their dates? She surely would've answered completely and fully—no details left out—if he had done so much as to bring up the word "proposal" in conversation. She certainly had done that about everything else, whether head had meant to say it, or if he had ever brought the topic up himself at all.

_Come on Brandon, think. _He was desperate at this point. If he wanted to get he whole thing started, first he had to have the perfect way to do so, or it would out turn wholly contrary to what he expected.

"This is ridiculous," he said under his breath. "Even with a plan I can't make it hap-pen." He looked at the clock. Three more hours until he planned to start getting every-thing ready.

_What would Sky do? _he asked himself. Or had done. He blinked his eyes open, sud-denly overcome with realization. _He'd be a hero__**. Her **__hero. And that's just what I'm going to do. _

* * *

Seven o'clock. Right on schedule. Surprisingly, Stella had loved that he had offered to take her to a restaurant after their failed picnic date earlier that day. And she'd even in-sisted to wear one of her dresses,—they had been bought back in Magix—ones she'd never even worn—just for him.

Brandon stood patiently in the main room of Love and Pet, each member of the Winx Club gazing at him with knowing looks. It appeared that Bloom had passed the big news off to the rest of the girls, but he had suspected as much. They _were _best friends, so it made sense they'd talk to each other so often. On the inside, he was just happy that his girlfriend had not found out. No offense was intended, but she generally did all she could to remain informed with all sorts of gossip.

"Must you girls continue staring at me?" he asked after a little while as Stella remained getting ready; though he didn't mind as he was used to it that point. He was joking, though; they could tell which made them giggle.

"Oh, we're just so happy for you two," Flora said cheerfully, cuddling little Coco in her arms like a stuffed animal (which was ironic as it and the other pets had originally been stuffed animals). "It was only a matter of time until the big question…" She giggled again. "_Popped _up."

This made another few fits of laughter come up, and Brandon himself joined in with them this time. "Don't worry, Brandon," Musa assured him. "We mean well. We're just pumped for our girl Stella, you know?"

He nodded. "I get it," he said. Then turned to her, an amused grin forming on his face. "So, Musa, just when do you expect Riven to ask you?"

She gasped, clearly having been caught off guard by his question. Desperately, she began to stutter out a response. "Uh…well, you see…" She trailed off and sighed. "I don't' know. I've been thinking about it, but you know how Riven is." Now she turned to the flower fairy. "Flo?"

Flora shrugged, not the least bit alarmed. "Just as Ms. Faragonda used to tell us about our powers and spells, it will happen 'When the time is right.'"

"Well, I don't know about you girls," said Tecna, speaking for the first time without fits of giggling in the back round, "but I know that if and when Timmy picks to ask me, it will not only be special, but logical as well."

Bloom shook her head, smiling at her pink haired friend. "Oh, Tecna, must you _really _worry so much over logic?"

"It's a trait of my people." Tecna shrugged nonchalantly before sighing as she sat down at a seat, appearing weary. "Goodness gracious, that was certainly a long day of work, huh girls?"

They all nodded.

"On the bright side," Musa told them, "at least we've got plenty of money not only for the shop, but for things we want too."

"Let's just hope Stella doesn't spend all her share of the money on shopping again," Flora commented with a smile. "You'd think with the billions of outfits she's got back at her palace, the last thing she would need is new clothes."

"I don't think she really wants new clothes all the times," Bloom said. "I think what she really enjoys is picking them out and getting the opportunity to try them on and wear them you know, once or twice and be done with them. I know lots of girls at my old high school here in town used to do that if they could afford it."

"Well, at least _this _outfit gets its big showing, huh?"

They all flipped around, bright smiles on their faces to see Stella, elegantly dressed in a silky red dress, her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and her honey eyes sparkling in the same way as they always did. To Brandon, their was only one word to describe how she looked. _Perfect._

"Wow," was all he said, approaching her with awe. "You look amazing Stella."

She blushed, her face beaming in the bright light. She looked at him, up and down and seemed satisfied. "You don't look so bad yourself," she complimented. "You look like a handsome prince— knight, that is."

He chuckled. "So I guess that you are happy that I went ahead with obtaining my knightly status? Because you did tell me that it wasn't necessary since you were a princess anyway."

She shrugged. "A girl can change her mind, can't she?"

"True," he replied. He held out his hand, and noticed the Winx Club were looking at them with bright eyes. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she said, grinning with a brightness he only saw so often these days. "Lead the way _Sir Brandon._"

After a short walk a few blocks away (Stella insisted that the weather was perfect for walking), they arrived at the small, classy restaurant where it was fancy, most certainly, but not fancy so much that Brandon would go broke all in one night.

He led her in, where a waiter asked where they wanted to sit, and after Stella replied, "Near the window," he took them to a comfortable table beside the window where they could enjoy a nice breeze while they dined. The dinner part went exceedingly well; just as any other dinner a couple went on.

"Dinner is your favorite meal, isn't it Stella?" Brandon inquired of her as he watched her politely, but still like herself, gulp down her main course with renewed happiness, just as he had seen her attack the sandwiches from lunch that day.

She smiled at him, embarrassed. "Yes," she said. "But, I just can't help it. They always used to cook the _best _food at dinner back at the palace on Solaria, so you can't really help a girl for enjoying her dinner, can you? Especially when it tastes this good and was bought by her charming knight of a boyfriend?"

Though he had meant it as a joke (and he could tell that she knew it), he knew better than to contradict her at a time like this. He simply laughed softly and took a sip of his water before replying, "I guess I can't argue with that."

And since they had both ordered such different meals, Stella would sometimes ask to have some of his food, and at first, she had wondered what in the Magical Dimension could cause such a want of her.

"I just love food," she explained, looking up at him with her signature "puppy dog" eyes. Though some men had grown immune to the look, poor Brandon just wasn't one of them, and relented.

"Okay, but then I get to try some of yours. Sound fair?"

She had agreed, and before long, they had shared a majority of their meals, and it seemed as if the food tasted even better that way, making it all the more enjoyable for the two of them.

Yes, dinner was perfect to say the least. For Brandon, he barely noticed at all when the main course had finally been finished, and the deserts had been delivered over to their table. It was then that he knew it was time. He only had this chance, and he knew now that he couldn't afford to screw it up.

"Hey Stella, what would you say would be your favorite quality about our relation-ship?" he asked her as she took a bite of her chocolate cake. Though he had planned to propose right after, he felt he needed to carefully choose his timing, if only to avoid her being more interested in desert than in his words.

She looked up at him, chewing and swallowing. At first she appeared rather surprised that he would even ask her such a question, and simply shrugged. But, after she real-ized how serious it was, she took the time to say, "Well, to be honest, the only thing I can truly say is you, Brandon. Without you, this wouldn't be _our relationship_, would it? You're what makes it special. You treat me well, smile when I want you to, and always know when to cheer me up when I'm down."

"Do you really care that much?" Just to be certain he was truly sure that she really, truly cared about him as much he did her, he copied her from earlier by asking if she meant what she said completely, no regrets.

"Of course I do!" Now she appeared absolutely surprised, as if it were impossible for him to not have known all along. "Why wouldn't I? You're on my mind almost every day, and even though I chose to stay on Earth while I could, sometimes I regret my decision, if only that it means I don't get to see you. At least if I'd stayed on Solaria like Daddy had wanted me to, then I could see you every chance I could get to leave, but here, the pet shop is so busy, I rarely get any time to just go shopping or even to the Frutti Music Bar anymore."

"But it's worth it!" she said, seemingly out of nowhere. "Bloom went through a night-mare waiting for Sky since he was always too busy as king, but she did it, and now she's engaged to him, and knows that even if he's busy, he still loves her, and she's confident that the day she walks down that aisle will be the best day of her life. And I know that if I can grow as strong of a bond with you as Bloom has with Sky, I'll feel the same way, Shnookums. And I mean; really, I do."

He looked at her in completely amazement, as if she were a different person than he had been speaking to only moments before, and he thought that she was. This was the Stella he knew would make a great queen, the Stella he had fallen in love with, and so much more.

"Sorry," she sighed. "I don't know where that came from. You were saying?"

He grinned. "Don't worry. I'm happy you said that. That just makes me even more confident about this. Stella"—he reached inside his pocket for the ring, and grabbed it into the palm of his hand— "you're the most important person in my entire life."

"Really?" She appeared with her cheeks red, overwhelmed with happiness.

"Yes. And that's why I ask, will you—"

"EXCUSE ME?!"

They flipped around, and Brandon was greatly disappointed to see their waiter, appearing rather anxious. It seemed that he had asked the question a few times before he had finally gotten their attention. "Are you two finished with your desert and ready for your check? We have another couple who would like to dine here."

"Just a second," Brandon started to say, "because I was trying to ask—"

"Oh, of course!" Stella said suddenly, completely interrupting what he was about to say. "I apologize on both mine and my boyfriend's behalf for being so rude. Yes, we're ready for the check, and it's on me." She pulled out a few bills of money and handed them to the waiter. He counted them and was content.

"Thank for dining with us," he said, bowing politely.

"No, thank you for your wonderful service," Stella told him as she stood and grabbed her purse. "Come on Brandon, we can talk outside."

"Okay," he sighed reluctantly, following as she walked outside of the restaurant and past the parking lot.

"Plan B failed," Brandon whispered as Stella and he walked, holding hands once more. "Sky really was right. You do need several different backup plans. Thankfully, though, this problem can be resolved."

Tapping Stella on the shoulder, he pointed to a bench where no one was seen by and inquired, "Hey Stella, why don't we sit there? This way we can finally talk alone, and considering the topic, being alone truly would be the best."

She nodded and they walked over to said bench where their conversation of love continued until Brandon once again felt that the time was right. _No more stalling, _he told himself. _It's now or never._

"Stella, I know you're probably wanting to know what I've been trying to ask you all day, right?" She looked at him and nodded. "Well, it'd be easier to show you than tell you."

He took out the ring from his pocket again and held it in his hand, tempted to show it to her now, but knew it would be more special to wait until after he had begun with the actual proposal. He sighed a great sigh and mustered up the words he felt would be perfect—that was hard to do as his favorite ways to propose had been used up during plans A and B.

"Stella, I love you, and I'm just going to get this out—will you please be my—" But, sadly for Brandon, life was not going well for him as once again, he found his proposal interrupted. Only this time, instead of a person's voice, or an electric that had done the job, it was a loud crack of thunder that cut off his words.

The thunder roared loudly, catching both of them off guard, and matters only grew worse as rain followed literally only seconds after the first crack of the thunder. Light-ning shown throughout the sky, letting them both know that whether they wanted it to be or not, their date was over.

"Well, I guess we should get you home, Stella," Brandon suggested as she huddled into his chest for comfort. "With the chance of more customers coming in tomorrow, the last thing you need is to get sick."

"Don't remind me," she moaned, rolling her eyes at the thought of serving more cust-omers at the shop. "After all I went through, whether I own one or not, I don't want to set eyes on a magic pet every again!"

He chuckled as they left the bench together and took off in the rain.

After a moment, Stella sighed and made him pause along with her. "Rain or not, I'm _not _going to risk my hair getting all frizzy in the morning. I'm a fairy, surely I can prevent that."

"What are you going to do? Make it stop raining?" He had not meant it as a way to insult, for he knew that she was more than capable to do just that, especially as her main element was the Sun.

"No," she smiled. "I'm just going to remedy past this." She sighed and whispered a spell so softly that even Brandon couldn't hear here, and before he knew, above his head appeared an umbrella, big enough to easily stretch over both of their heads. "There."

"An umbrella? You'd think you would've just made your whole body waterproof or something."

"I could have," she said to him, "but what's the fun in that if it'll most likely won't wear off after we get there. So, either way, we're going to get wet. I should know after all those spells I learned in Transformations—well, sort of learned. Anyway, it just makes more sense and is easier to simply find a way around nature. You know, a sort of counter spell without a counter spell?"

He nodded. "It just seems a little simple for you is all, Stella. Normally you can't do anything without some big form of magic, so it's surprising to see you just conjure a little umbrella and be satisfied, even if you do get wet, which you likely still will anyway."

She shrugged. "That's the sacrifice of living on Earth." At that point they had reached the Love and Pet building. "Sorry you couldn't ask me that question, Brandon. Tomorrow?"

"It'll have to be," he remind her. "I leave tomorrow, but don't worry. It'll happen this time, and there won't be anything getting in the way this time, got it?"

She smiled. "Okay. See you around." She turned around, but suddenly gasped. "Wait." She jumped in his direction and planted a kiss on his lips before smiling herself as she slipped inside.

He grinned. She was such a fascinating girl, Stella. That was one of the reasons why he had grown interested in her. Sure, she was beautiful, but beauty could only get one so far. Personality was an important factor, and to say the least, Princess Stella had more personality than most.

He regretted not having been able to propose, but that was the way it had to be. As he headed back to his hotel, he planned the next day, hoping it would turn out better, but one main thing:

Three had better be his lucky number.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I have to say, I feel bad for Brandon after this. Things just aren't going so well for them, are we? But, don't worry, he'll get to propose (eventually). Hope you enjoyed all the Brandon/ Stella moments.

And, as always, review appreciated.


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